Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 401 - 275: Searching_2

Chapter 401: Chapter 275: Searching_2

Xu Yuan was not concerned, looking towards the corridors to either side, he whispered instructions:

"Qingyan, even though we now have the Black Death Armor, we mustn’t be careless. This armor merely prevents those high-level specters from tracking our movements with the Black Death Mycelial Mat—if we get too close, they can still distinguish us."

Li Qingyan pondered for a moment, glanced at Xu Yuan, and chose to offer a reminder:

"Prince Consort, these specters seem to naturally block the perception of the will-spirit. We can only detect them by sight and hearing."

"I know that."

This wasn’t knowledge from the Cangyuan Chronicles, but from Old Man Luo.

Having lived through the great spectral calamity of ten thousand years ago, Xu Yuan had lived with Old Man Luo for so long, he naturally became curious about the creatures known as specters. Chatting idly, Old Man Luo shared with him a lot of information about specters.

Among which was the point that they could not be tracked by the will-spirit.

Moreover, when that low-level specter attacked just now, he had already personally experienced its blocking effect on the will-spirit.

After a pause, Xu Yuan pointed in the direction opposite to where the rumblings were coming from, indicating to keep talking while on the move:

"The Barbarian King’s area has probably already turned into a disaster zone, we need to go the other way. Also, to investigate the movements of specters, one need not rely solely on sight and hearing; Origin Qi can be used as well."

Li Qingyan, sword in hand, followed by Xu Yuan’s side, her figure both valiant and enticing due to the form-fitting armor:

"Origin Qi? Do you mean directly scattering the Origin Qi outwards?"

"Of course not, if you scatter your Origin Qi you might sense them, but the specters would be able to sniff you out just the same."

Xu Yuan shook his head. After rummaging through the Sumeru Ring, he pulled out a page filled with writing and handed it casually to Li Qingyan, "This is a special method of using Origin Qi, given to me by that old ghost residing in the Soul Ring."

"......"

Li Qingyan received it thoughtfully, lowering her eyes to examine the Secret Technique recorded on it.

Xu Yuan glanced at her serious expression, then turned to survey the dark corridor.

In the Cangyuan Chronicles, this silent Underground Palace was already a dungeon with labyrinthine qualities; turning into reality, it would certainly be infinitely more complex.

To escape, the first step was to determine their position in this silent Underground Palace.

And for pinpointing their position, Xu Yuan did not have a perfect plan.

They could only keep going down this path in the hopes of encountering some "landmark architecture."

In silence, the two had already walked for a quarter of an hour.

The corridor was still the same, with the Black Death Mycelial Mat on the walls swaying gently in the draft, showing no signs of ending.

Xu Yuan withdrew his gaze, looking towards Li Qingyan at his side, and saw she had put away the page, chuckling softly:

"There’s no need to rush this Secret Technique. We won’t be able to leave this Underground Palace anytime soon, you can take your time..."

"I have already learned it."

"?"

Xu Yuan’s gaze froze.

Darn it, are these geniuses all so fast at learning?

He himself had taken nearly a whole day to barely manage to use it.

Li Qingyan handed the page back to Xu Yuan, slightly leaning in, tilting her head, and repeated with a light laugh, "This Princess has already learned it. Are you surprised, Prince Consort?"

"......."

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan took it back, turned his face away, and replied with an unfazed expression:

"It took you a quarter of an hour to learn; what’s there to be proud of? I could do it just by looking once, but well, it’s good that you’ve learned."

"Heh..."

Li Qingyan chuckled softly, staring at him without saying a word.

Xu Yuan smacked his lips and coughed lightly:

"My cultivation is quite weak..."

"Weak cultivation?" Li Qingyan tilted her head.

"...."

Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan gave the woman a glare:

"My cultivation is very weak, so my range of investigation and the duration will not compare to yours, Qingyan. I’ll leave the watch to you in the meantime."

With a smile on her lips, Li Qingyan saluted Xu Yuan mockingly:

"Qingyan will take the command and ensure your complete safety."

Xu Yuan opened his mouth, but the words he meant to say turned into a light sigh.

Ignoring the Princess’s sense of mischief, Xu Yuan continued to entrust her in a low voice:

"Specters can live eternally, but eternity comes at a price."

In good faith, Li Qingyan played the role of a supportive retainer:

"A price?"

"Loss of sentience."

Xu Yuan bluntly said, "You probably realized this while you were out scouting earlier, didn’t you? Most of the specters in this Underground Palace are like mindless beasts without any intellect."

Li Qingyan’s smile faded upon hearing this, and her voice instantly turned icy:

"Just now, the ghosts I encountered were all low-ranking ones. I wonder about the higher-ranking ghosts..."

"The same."

Xu Yuan was succinct and direct, "After ten thousand years, even the ghosts transformed from Saints will have lost their intelligence."

Li Qingyan’s chest trembled slightly, and her furrowed brows relaxed.

With equal cultivation, the gap between having intelligence and lacking it is truly as vast as the difference between the clouds and the mud.

Xu Yuan noticed what this woman was thinking and glanced at her full and slender hips, smiling as he advised:

"Those high-ranking ghosts can assimilate people. Qingyan, if you become a ghost due to carelessness, it would be better for me to overdraw on the future here and now."

Li Qingyan covered her mouth with a light chuckle, half-jokingly saying:

"Prince Consort is worried about me, though if I were to be transformed, I surely wouldn’t immediately become a monster like the ones we saw just now, right?"

"You probably wouldn’t, so by then, we might still take advantage of the heat."

"?"

Li Qingyan’s phoenix eyes paused, feeling both amused and irritated.

And in the next instant,

Xu Yuan reached out to wrap his arm around her slender waist and said softly with a sideward glance and a gentle smile:

"Don’t worry, even if you get transformed, I have ways to save you."

Li Qingyan glanced at the roving hand of his:

"With just... your Soul Condensation cultivation?"

"What did I say before? Don’t question my words."

Xu Yuan’s eyes narrowed, and with a "snap," he slapped her pert butt and said, "This is punishment, don’t let it happen again."

"....."

Li Qingyan bit her lip corner, exhaled, and stared at him with her pair of ruby-red pupils shaped like dangerous crescents:

"Alright, don’t let it happen again, but after punishing me... could Prince Consort not grip so tightly? If a high-ranking ghost suddenly attacks, being too close to me could result in injury."

"So stingy."

After a moment of eye contact, Xu Yuan withdrew his hand and changed the subject:

"The ghost in the deepest part of the Underground Palace is an exception; it’s different from the other ghosts here and possesses high intelligence."

"Why?" Li Qingyan asked with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"How would I know?"

Xu Yuan retorted like a rascal, but after a moment of contemplation, he speculated, "I think its retention of intelligence after ten thousand years must have something to do with the location of its slumber."

In the Cangyuan Chronicles, that ghost BOSS was in a deep slumber at a place similar to an altar.

Initially, I didn’t know why, but now, thinking about what Old Man Luo had previously told me.

The ghosts in this silent Underground Palace are likely the small remnants that escaped during the ancient human powerhouses’ siege, hiding deep underground to cling onto existence.

With that thought,

Xu Yuan suddenly grinned:

"Of course, he should be chasing after the Barbarian King now, and if I remember correctly, there seemed to be some treasures where he slept."

Li Qingyan’s eyes narrowed slightly:

"Prince Consort, are you thinking of going to where it slept?"

"It depends on the situation. If we can pick up something for nothing, that would be best. But right now, it’s better if we focus on finding a way out first."

Xu Yuan didn’t deny it but didn’t let greed cloud his judgment either.

If he had been accompanied by Sister Lou Ji or Aunt Sword Saint, he would definitely punch through this instance and grab all the treasures he could.

Unfortunately, he was with Li Qingyan, so the best choice was still to escape first and seek help.

"If that’s the case, then we should speed up a bit."

Li Qingyan honored their agreement and raised no objections, her clear voice saying, "This Underground Palace seems vast; at our current speed, we won’t find anything even after ten days."

Upon saying this,

Li Qingyan bent down and directly picked up Xu Yuan.

"....." Xu Yuan.

Being carried by the Princess was quite something.

As Origin Qi flowed into his body, Xu Yuan sighed inwardly, hooked his arm around her jade neck, and let the Princess have her way.

Well, it wasn’t the first time he had come here.

The sound of the wind whistled by his ears, and the corridors on both sides retreated at a nearly invisible speed.

It seemed he also caught a glimpse of several low-ranking ghosts lying dormant on the mycelial mat, but before they could react, Li Qingyan had already swept past them.

After an uncountable amount of time,

Xu Yuan suddenly felt the wind by his ears cease, opened his eyes, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

They had reached the end of the corridor, standing beside a massive cliff, beneath which lay a dark, endless abyss........